Lateral Movements and Shoulder-in

 

Shoulder-In is often said to be the first and last straightening exercise you will ever use.

However Lateral Movements can also seem difficult and a bit mysterious. But they don't have to be.💖

Lateral Movements - What are they?

🌟Lateral or Sideways movements are movements where the back feet of the horse are not directly following the front feet and can be on 3 or 4 tracks

🌟Lateral movements can have bend in the direction of the movement (Half-Pass type) or bend away from the direction of the movement (Shoulder-In type)

🌟Lateral movements can rotate the quarters around the shoulders or alternatively the shoulders around the quarters.

🌟Lateral movements can develop and improve Straightness and Mobility and can help with Relaxation and Balance.

Shoulder-In

Shoulder-In is one of the first lateral movements to teach your horse, it has the following training outcomes:

✅Develops the flexibility and power of the hind legs, especially the inside hind

✅Helps straighten the horse, particularly where the horse wants to travel quarters-in at canter

✅Can help to resolve a pacing or lateralised walk

✅Can be done in neck extension at an early stage of training

✅Transitions from walk-trot-walk in Shoulder-in can start to train collection

✅Can help with a difficult canter to trot transitions as the diagonalization makes the trot happen

Shoulder-In Aids

✅Ask for inside lateral flexion

✅Sit toward the direction of travel

✅Pelvis and shoulders rotate to follow the horse’s lateral flexion (through the ears)

✅Inside leg active at the girth, whip on the inside to support the active leg

✅Outside leg passive behind the girth, outside leg controls the quarters if there is no wall

Good Luck !

Christine Mogensen

Principal - Blinkbonnie Equestrian Centre

References : “Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage”, Philippe Karl